NATO and Ukraine continue to call on Russia to reverse its illegal and illegitimate annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Russian defense ministry

NATO Heads of State and Government claim Russia's ongoing militarization of Crimea poses further threats to Ukraine's independence.

"Russia's ongoing militarization of Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov poses further threats to Ukraine's independence and undermines the stability of the broader region," according to the Chairman's statement on NATO-Ukraine following the meeting of the North Atlantic Council with Georgia and Ukraine in the framework of the Brussels Summit.

It is also reported leaders condemned Russia's construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait bridge between Russia and the illegally annexed Crimea, which represents another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the infringement of its navigational rights in its territorial waters.

"NATO and Ukraine continue to call on Russia to reverse its illegal and illegitimate annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which they do not and will not recognize," it said.

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